


Sleep to Dream My Mind Awake

by araydre, Fancy_Dragonqueen



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Clint Barton Is a Good Bro, Fluff and Angst, Hugs, M/M, Multi, Secret Identity, Steve is done, Tony Loves The Team, Tony is sleepdeprived
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-07
Updated: 2019-01-07
Packaged: 2019-10-06 03:59:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17338175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/araydre/pseuds/araydre, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fancy_Dragonqueen/pseuds/Fancy_Dragonqueen
Summary: Tony just whined and curled closer into the pillow, trying to hide his eyes and hoping for the strangers to go away. I can’t see you so you can’t see me.“Doesn’t work like that buddy, come on. You can do it.”





	Sleep to Dream My Mind Awake

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MassiveSpaceWren](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MassiveSpaceWren/gifts).



> Happy Birthday our lovliest Birb <3

Everything hurt.  
Tony didn’t know how they were able to find him, possibly because they weren’t the same people who searched everywhere for him. He had taken quite a beating, no wonder with his senses all screwed after a shockwave had taken him from the sky. The armour was safe but he himself wasn’t. There had been no time for him to reach the armour when JARVIS flew it home with the newest MARK 38. Not that he would have flown with it. The armour was blue. He was more of a red and gold type of a guy.  
Just that he wished he had flown away with it. Damn. Maybe he should just close his mouth the next time, not angering the villains again.

Not that he really thought they were going to bring him to their boss. In fact Tony thought they were just muggers trying to get easy money, not that he looked like easy money at the moment. He was clean shaven and seriously missed his beard, but no one in their right mind would think he was Tony Stark.  
They had tried to rob him off his belongings, belongings he didn’t have with him. When they couldn’t find money or expensive things -and thank god for his hindsight that he had hidden his watch in the nearest dumpster- they only started to beat him up harder.

Tony could feel a harder hit to his head, a sharp pain and wetness on his face, glad he already lay on the ground or he would have fallen. As it was he curled in on himself, trying to make himself even smaller, but they had already stopped hitting him. He could hear them talking above his head, somehow as if they talked through cotton or was it just his brain feeling like that, Tony didn’t know.  
What he did know was that they were making themselves scarce and left him all alone.

“God. They did a number on you, didn’t they.”

Tony couldn’t help himself but flinch away from the fingers that tried to reach for him, but stopped when he moved to fast, groaning and clutching at his head.

“It’s okay. I won’t hurt you, I promise. You need to go to a hospital. You’re badly injured and I don’t know if there is internal bleeding or if your head is seriously hurt.”

If he could he would have shaken his head.

“No hospital.” He managed to rasp out.

“Buddy, you really need a hospital.”

“NO!” This time his voice didn’t sound as if he’d choked on some gravel but it was still painful to hear even in his own ears. “No hospital. Please. They will find me.”

Tony could feel the short moment of hesitation before the man carefully grabbed him by the shoulder, started to drag him from the ground, forcing him to stand on his own feet, leaning heavily at the stranger.

“Okay, no hospital. But I will call a doctor and he will look at you and you will let him look. He’s a good friend and he won’t rat you out.”

Tony knew it was a bad idea to follow the stranger, but he was in no shape to really fight against it. Especially not when the man dragged him to the nearest fire escape and helped him up the stairs.  
Convenient.

“I’d just started to eat some Ben and Jerry’s when I heard the noise, I’m sorry I didn’t get there earlier.”

There was something about the man that was familiar, something that was already soothing and Tony didn’t know why. Maybe it was the voice. The stranger had a nice voice that’s for sure.  
The strangers rooms were way too far for his liking and they took forever, but finally, finally he managed to collapse on a worn couch. The best couch. Couch was his friend now and he would never let go of it.

Nice voice stranger snorted and grabbed for a blanket to throw over him, not waiting for Tony’s response when he turned and got whatever. Tony didn’t care, he just wanted to close his eyes to sleep a bit. Everything hurt and his head hurt and he was so tired and the world should really stop spinning.

 

Stranger was talking again, words he couldn’t really understand in a hushed voice. It didn’t make him want to open his eyes and seek freedom. Understandable with his beloved couch. With the nice pillows and the soft blanket and the quiet. When did it get so quiet, not even the cars on the street were to be heard.

The voice stopped and Tony could feel the couch move a bit when another person sat on it, touching his shoulder.

“I just phoned with Dan. Do you remember everything? Do you wanna throw up? I’m sorry I’m not allowed to let you sleep longer than two hours and I really think you would be more comfortable in other clothes and maybe after a shower and in a bed? No. Screw the shower. The wound has just stopped bleeding and I don’t want it to open again, I’m glad we don’t seem to need to stitch it.”

Tony just whined and curled closer into the pillow, trying to hide his eyes and hoping for the strangers to go away. I can’t see you so you can’t see me.

“Doesn’t work like that buddy, come on. You can do it.”

 

Could the handsome voice guy read his mind, because if yes that was just cool and he was screwed and he really, really didn’t like the idea of not being able to sleep.  
There was laughter again, soft and warm and oh so dark but a soothing dark. Hands were sneaking under his body and he could feel himself being lifted, tried to look, but could only see black from the blanket and snuggled closer, weirdly comforted by the warm, but smooth shirt the man was wearing. Tony sighed and closed his eyes again, moaning in comfort and pain when he was lain onto the soft bed, not as soft as his own or as expensive, but a bed nonetheless.

“ ‘M not buddy. Edward. I’m Edward.”

Tony didn’t know when he fell asleep or why he wasn’t alarmed in a strangers home but at least he had had the splendid idea to not tell the stranger his real name. Well not the name everyone knew him, Edward was his middle name and he wore it with pride, reminding him of Jarvis. The real one.  
Tony felt a hand brushing his hair away from his forehead and heard a soft chuckle, last thing he was aware was a rumbled: “Good night, Edward.” before he drifted off into wonderful soothing darkness, a restful sleep he lacked the last well. Years.

When he woke up a few hours later he looked right into a big black face, white gigantic eyes with a tint of yellow and damn where those teeth sharp.

Tony did the only reasonable thing a human being could do.

He fainted.

When Tony came to his sense again it was to a lot of arguing in hushed voices. Well, as hushed as they could get. There was the soothing voice from the stranger that had rescued him a face he hadn’t seen yet because his eyes had been swollen shut and the world had been too dark to get anything other than a few silhouettes.

“...can’t scare him like that, Vee!”

“But Eddie. We adopted!”

“You can’t adopt an adult human.”

A short moment of silence.

“Why?”

Tony snorted.  
He had really tried to be silent, tried to make himself as inconspicuous as possible to use the first possibility to flee, but that was too weird, too absurd, too funny to not react.

“He’s awake Eddie!”

“I know. How about you hide and I talk to our guest a bit?”

“Has already seen us.”

The darker voice sounded almost pouting and Tony groaned when he opened his eyes to look for his abducting helpers. In the dim light of the kitchen, and wasn’t it a little apartment when he could not only see the kitchen but the living room too, through the open door.  
In it was only one person. With two heads.

What the fuck.

To be honest he loved science fiction, but mostly because he loved science. Not the fiction.

That was until the tiny black head waved a little tentacle at him.

“Hi Edward.”

“Hello right back. I’m sorry I didn’t get your name?”

Tony couldn’t help himself but smiled when the little head almost jumped off in excitement, grabbing the humans face with little tentacles to shake him and tell him that Tony had talked to him.  
It was kinda cute.  
He watched the strange man patting the little black head and not even trying to hide the amusement on his face with the most delicious plump lips he had seen in a while. Tony was pretty in sync with his sexuality, knowing that he didn’t need to restrain himself to only one gender, but could have and love everything and it was those lips curled into a soft smile that intrigued him more than the fact that he really should run for his life. And his sanity, but who needed sanity in this world anymore.

 

“I’m sorry he spooked you. Edward, this is Venom and I’m Eddie, pleasure to meet you. Not exactly under those circumstances but a pleasure nonetheless.”

If Tony wasn’t sure the man was completely crazy he would have thought that he flirted with him.  
Which was kind of nice because he knew that if Tony looked half the way he felt Tony would look like shit. Just that now, when he could concentrate on it, he didn’t feel a thing.

“What?”

Taking his gaze from the pair-person-whatever he looked down on his bloodied and bruised knuckles, looking at hands that were clean and uninjured, not even rough. They felt better than ever before.  
Now that he knew he felt the lack of the usual pain, his neck, head the lower back, the toe he had stubbed and bruised, the papercut under one of his nails that couldn’t seem to close. All gone.

“We were that. Tell him, Eddie. We did!”

The black gooey head looked terribly pleased, bouncingly pleased even. Tony smiled.

“Thank you. I don’t know how, but that’s pretty cool. I feel better than I have in years.”

Gooey head, Venom Tony reminded himself, was openly beaming at him, while plump lips, Eddie, looked equally annoyed and pleased. Tony was a bit rusty on social matters, so he didn’t know how to acceptablely ask both of them out for dinner. Because they helped him, not because he felt better than ever and really wanted to hug both of them and maybe, maybe sneak a peek kiss on those very welcoming lips. That the man was able to go outside without being kissed all the time was a miracle.

Venoms eyes went big as saucers, if that was even possible, and Tony was pretty sure the goo wouldn’t be opposed to kisses now. Not that he wanted to kiss a gooey head. Not at all. Screw it, he never did what people expect of him.

A lot of food was involved, in fact Tony was pretty sure the different catering services thought they were hosting a party, with all the pizzas and chinese takeout and so much chocolate, which Tony didn’t even know could be delivered. They didn’t question where he got so much money or why he let them go to the door, but Tony was pleased. His disguise worked perfectly, he knew no one would recognize him without his facial hair.

They ate, talked and laughed and then they ate some more until Tony felt like bursting and even Venom told them he was full and pleased, a matter that seemed to surprise Eddie. Tony wasn’t sure if they had enough for both of them, but he would look into it, would help them out if possible, not that he would do it with his name. There were other possibilities.

It was nice.

The black head curled into an adorable blobb on Tony’s lap and he was content to pet him, hear how they came to know each other. Tony was pretty sure it wasn’t the whole story, but he loved how Venom would eat everything. There sure was something missing when Eddie made a face, but it was okay. Tony wasn’t telling them everything either.

“He likes you.” Eddie said with wonder a few minutes of blessed silence later. The kind of silence that wasn’t awkward, but nice and made him feel all warm inside. Tony smiled down onto his lap where the symbiote was lightly snoring, which sounded more like the purr of a cat. His eyes returned to Eddie, who watched him intensely, and if Eddie licked his upper lip and Tony leaned in to follow the trace of the tongue and if they stumbled into bed, not to sleep with each other, but make out like lovesick teenagers, stroking, exploring and kissing, so much kissing, well. No one needed to know.  
It was nice when Venom awoke, curiously watched and nudged them together, clearly not judging, more content that they seemed to like each other, happy to squeeze in between them and get big, so much bigger than before, hearing Eddie’s laughter when Tony stared at Venom, now bigger than both of them, hugging them together against his warm, pleasantly muscled yet soft body and made them sleep, protecting them in their slumber and soothing their pains and nightmares, making them whole for the time being.

Sometimes everything hurt.  
But after the hurt came something better. Even if everything good needed to end sometimes too.  
It was just too dangerous to stay with them, not for himself but for Eddie and Venom, the nicest people he had met since Pepper and Happy. It hurt to leave them, but it was for the better. They would forgive him. Maybe. Someday.

 

PART TWO

Twelve long months later Tony had not only fought his inner demons, he had fought the Whiplash too, then some Aliens and now he suddenly had a team and they were moving into the tower. Slowly one by one.  
Bruce had been the last one, mostly because he needed to resolve something first before he was able to come to them, making Tony’s heart grow fonder when he finally was able to have his science bro somewhere near.  
He just needed to get Rhodey into the tower too and maybe, maybe he would be able to ask someone else. He just needed to check in first if the rest were okay with it.  
Not wanting the man and the symbiote that had stolen his heart to be smashed through the nearest wall by Thor. Or Cap’s shield.

In fact maybe it wasn’t a good idea, Tony was pretty sure that Venom had really eaten some guys. It should bother him more, but to be honest it didn’t.

He missed them.

Tony wasn’t sure if it was okay to feel like that, they hadn’t even slept together, not that this ever was a point to like someone or even miss them. It had just felt right to be with them, okay? He wasn’t one to judge his own feelings. Be one with yourself or whatever thing New Agers were preaching.

There wasn’t much time to think about it when JARVIS reminded him to go to the Avengers meeting, because that’s what early breakfast was called now.  
Avengers meeting.

Pretty sure it was only Steve’s try to get them all healthy and well nourished. He really loved torturing them with vegetables and less fast food. What a sad world it had become.

Okay, sometimes there was information too, a hinted: you should look out for yourself Tony, don’t try to take the foe alone. No, Thor. You might be immortal but that still doesn’t mean we want you to get hurt so please wait for the rest. No Clint, you can’t steal the villains dog, they maybe love it too and could go maniac if you do so.

Things like that.  
Most of the times it was Steve motherhenning over all of them, trying to do his best and making himself useful. Sometimes Tony feared a bit for the man, seeming to be out of sorts when he couldn’t do something useful with himself in between missions. 

Okay, maybe he was a tiniest bit of a mother hen too. Especially when he wanted Venom and Eddie safe within his tower too.

The holograms in front of him turned blank and Tony huffed in playful annoyance.

“Coming, I’m coming. Geez. We already saw each other last night.”

“In fact it had been two days since you last saw your comrades.”

How JARVIS managed to sound so dry was beyond Tony’s imagination. With a soft laugh he shook his head, getting up from his chair and winced when he felt his muscles protest.

“Ow…”

The silence above him told him everything he needed to know, happy that JARVIS was stonly silent about his physical appearance. A short snifftest confirmed that he should at least put on another shirt, but the only available one was dirty with grease and motor oil and nope. They would survive. They were warriors, they could take a little body odor so he stayed in his clothes as they were.

Maybe he should have changed.  
Maybe he should have taken a shower too.  
Or at least a little makeup to hide the bags under his eyes.  
At least he thought that when he was spotted by Steve who looked at him with slightly wide eyes and an aura radiating worry.

Tony gifted him a wide, innocent smile, trying to make himself look as wholesome as possible. Steve huffed in clear annoyance and turned to load some more vegetables on a plate to loudly place it in front of Tony, even nudging it a bit closer.  
What was it with this Supersoldier and vegetables?

Just when he wanted to open his mouth to tell Steve that he had switched their dishes and there was more unhealthy stuff on his own, a red light started to shine along the walls completely with an unholy sound.

“What the hell.”

“Intruder alert, Sir.”

Smug. First Dry, then sassy, now smug. He really loved JARVIS but sometimes, sometimes he wanted to, no scratch that, he loved JARVIS and he would never gave him away.”

“Shut it down! Oh my god. I can see Bruce getting green around the nose and I don’t know if it’s because of the sound or because there are only vegetables on his plate.”

Obviously no one except Clint thought Tony funny, but he was used to an easy audience, this time he could work on his skill.

Somehow Steve had hid his SHIELD somewhere because it was in his hands, and how the hell could you hide something big like that? He could get the guns and the big ass knife in Nat’s hands because she was scary as hell and of course she would carry deadly weapons on her at breakfast table, why were they eating VEGETABLES as a breakfast dish again? But seriously the SHIELD was a bit too much. Maybe his sleep deprived brain wasn’t exactly the best brain to watch out for danger because the next thing he saw was something splashing against the window.

Tony couldn’t help himself but to chuckle.

Through the window he could see Eddie, his Eddie, and a part of Venom who slowly melted away from Eddie, making him look like a big badass hoodie. Nice. Eddie’s face was pressed against the window and it looked like one of his eyes was twitching. That really didn’t look comfortable at all.

Before someone could stop him (HAH to Steve, who always bothered him for team exercising, he was sportive as hell!) he opened the window to drag Eddie and Venom in, falling down from the unexpected weight, lying on the floor covered by them and giggling like a madman. 

“Hi Eddie. Hi Venom. I missed you.”

“URGH.”

Awkwardly he tried to reach around Venom to pat them on the back, only to get a muffled “I hate you Vee.” in response which made him giggle a little bit more. They were pretty warm and he shouldn’t like that while lying on the cold floor.

“Sir, whoever you are please get off of Tony.”

Tony giggled.  
That’s exactly what he would have liked to have happened but a short playful tickle into his unprotected flank told him that nope, not getting off soonish.

“You reek.”

That wasn’t the response he wanted to hear, that was nowhere near: Tony, oh Tony I missed you, Vee couldn’t eat or sleep without hugging you.

“Don’t sleep much and still want to hug you.” A dark voice rumbled and Tony smiled up at Venom who slowly retreated from Eddie to form the little adorable head to rub his cheek on Tony’s.  
Oh he really missed them.  
That way he could finally hug Eddie, pat Venom and grin at Steve who looked at him kinda done with the world. Or just Tony. Could still be done with both at the same time.

“That’s my friend. Both of them.”

“Cool.”

Tony gave a thumbs up to Clint who snatched some meat from Cap’s plate and devoured it with gusto, not even interested in Venom and Eddie anymore after his approval, as if it’s completely normal to have an alien and a human burst into their home.  
Maybe it was. Normal that is. Maybe he was a bit compromised on what being normal entailed. Maybe he just needed more caffeine.

“Tony.”

Tony sometimes really wanted to ask how Steve could put so much emotion into his name. Maybe, maybe the man had a secret crush on him because there was no other explanation. At least that was his science headcanon or what boring people would call one of his hypotheses.

 

Steve rubbed the bridge of his nose, sighed deeply and stared at Tony’s friends.

“Look, I don’t know who you are but Tony needs some food and sleep, lots of sleep. Also we’ve got a door. Or you could call. There’s no need to go through the window.”

“You heard the guy Vee. No need to go through the window.”

Venom purred contentedly into Tony’s cheek, murmuring a quiet “Pussy” which shouldn’t be so funny.

“He’s right. You need sleep and a bath.”

“You reek worse than Eddie.” Venom nodded and nuzzled Tony further, who only joined Eddie in an outraged “Hey!” Eddie added a “Shut up, you damn parasite.” To which Venom responded with: “You better watch how you’re talking to someone who is up your ass.”

As amusing as it was, the floor began to be very uncomfortable and he managed to get up together with a still beet red Eddie and Venom who started to grow bigger, big enough to scoop them both up into his arms.  
It somehow looked like Steve would combust any second, so Tony sent him a little happy wave and another innocent smile over Vee’s shoulder to indicate that he indeed was safe here, happy to finally be able to snuggle into both of their arms.

There was still one thing he needed to know.

“How did you find me?”

He gained an eye roll from Eddie, a short ruffle through his hair followed by a soft sigh.

“We always knew who you were. I’m a reporter Tony and Venom had read your mind. The blue light in your chest gave you away too. We just thought you would be more comforted if we played along.”

“Couldn’t heal you of that. But it’s beautiful. Part of you.”

Just when he’d wanted to ask.

“... thought would hate me.”

There was a short moment of silence before Tony felt strong arms surrounding him, Eddie turned in Venom’s embrace to hug Tony instead, both of them being squeezed by Venom, who somehow managed to balance them.

“How could we hate someone like you, shining bright like a star?”

It should have sounded like a bad pick up line but somehow coming from Venom it meant something else, warming Tony up from the inside, making his cheeks blush and his face hide into the crook of Eddie’s neck.

“He’s right you know, it feels right with you and we wanted to give you all the time in the world but you look like shit and we worried.”

That made sense.

“‘Kay. Bed now?”

Tony could feel his eyes growing heavy, it was okay to sleep now. Everyone he loved was in the tower, everyone was safe. He couldn’t wait to show them what he’d created for the both of them, but it was okay if they got it after sleep. It was too warm and too nice to move. So maybe, maybe he didn’t make sense when he thought he couldn’t wait.

“Sleep Tony.” The dark rumble went through his whole body, making him snuggle closer to the warmth, closer into the protective arms, knowing that everything was fine now.

 

The end.


End file.
